 | Term | Definition |
| |
communication |
the transmission of information and understanding between group members |
| |
communication structure |
a group's established communication network, the pattern of information sharing in the group |
| |
centralized communication network |
a communication structure in which members must go through a central person to communicate with one another and one member is the principal source and target of communication |
| |
decentralized communication network |
a communication structure in which information flows between members without going through a central person and communication and access to information are more or less equally distributed |
| |
formal communication network |
a layered communication network officially designated by the group or organization |
| |
informal communication network |
a group's unofficial communication network |
| |
grapevine |
the channel through which gossip, rumors, and other unofficial information travels through the group |
| |
gossip |
communications about other group members that may or may not be factual |
| |
rumor |
unsubstantiated gossip |
| |
verbal communication |
the way we communicate using words |
| |
nonverbal communication |
the way we communicate using body language such as gestures, body orientation, touching, personal distance, paralanguage, and facial expressions |
| |
paralanguage |
a form of nonverbal communication that includes voice pitch, rate, quality, and tone as well as nonword communications such as "tsking" and sighing |
| |
congruent message |
when the verbal and nonverbal content of a message are consistent and match |
| |
incongruent message |
when the verbal content and the nonverbal content of a message are mixed and suggest different things |
| |
group communication climate |
whether the context in which group communication occurs is cooperative and supportive or defensive and competitive |
| |
cooperative (or supportive) climate |
a communication climate in which members feel free to communicate honestly and the communication is directed toward the group's work |
| |
competitive (or defensive) climate |
a communication climate in which members distrust one another and communication is competitive |
| |
confirming responses |
supportive responses that encourage the sharing of ideas |
| |
disconfirming responses |
unsupportive responses that make members feel disregarded or rejected |
| |
assertive behavior |
behaviors oriented toward asserting one's own rights, opinions, or boundaries in a way that also respects the rights of others |
| |
message matching |
the idea that message senders should tailor their message to the target so that the intended message will be understood |
| |
constructive confrontations |
calm, well-prepared confrontations that involve clarifying and exploring the issues and the feelings of the participants, and mutual problem solving |
| |
isomorphic attribution |
when we interpret the behavior of others in the same way they intended it |
| |
intercultural exploration |
a process of sharing cultural assumptions and values that is intended to avert or clarify misunderstanding and misperceptions that arise out of cultural differences |
| |
low-context communication |
direct and precise communication where value is placed on providing a clear message through words, common in individualistic cultures |
| |
high-context communication |
indirect communication where the meaning of messages is conveyed by how something said rather than what is said, common in collectivistic cultures |
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